The Impact of First Responder Visits

It is so important to bring the community into our classrooms. This last year reminded me how much it helps my students. I was lucky enough to have peer mentors who had a dad's that were doctors, and firefighters. They each came in and they each did an amazing presentation, explaining about their job.

Our fireman dad gave a talk about fire safety, and what to do at home if there is a fire. This is always important for all kids, but super important for mine. The more times they hear what to do in an emergency situation the more likely they are to use the information in one of these scary situations. He also donned gear so we could see all the pieces that go with getting dressed...it was pretty awesome. We got to touch and look at all different pieces of life saving equipment and the students were able to put on fire suits and hats. It was a fun and educational afternoon. One that my students talked about for months afterward.

Our doctor dad came in and immediately I had a student under a desk yelling "No No No doctor!!!" She was so scared and curled in a ball on the floor. She had obviously had bad experiences with a doctor in the past. A peer mentor crawled under another desk and sat with her to help comfort her, but she still refused to come out.

The doctor brought different activities for stations. We had 4 set up around the room. Looking at X-rays of broken bones, dressing up in doctor attire, shooting water from syringes, and listening to our heartbeats through stethoscopes. By the end of the activities the scared student had come out and was taking part in all the stations. This was in large part because of the support, comfort, and modeling done by the peer mentors within the classroom.

Learning that firemen and doctors aren't scary and are there to help us is a really important life lesson. Thank you to all first responders!

(And really could my kids be any cuter)